In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Mix in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Pour mixture into a 13" x 18" half-sheet pan coated with nonstick spray, smoothing the top with an off-set spatula. Place pan into the oven and bake until the bars are set and slightly puffed, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

To prepare the icing

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and salt over medium heat. As soon as the mixture is lightly bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together confectioners' sugar, half-and-half and vanilla until smooth. Pour in the melted butter mixture and beat until combined. Immediately spread icing over brownies and allow to sit for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

Makes about 30 brownies (though you could get away with cutting them smaller as they are fairly rich).

13 comments:

Perfect timing! I need to quickly prepare a dessert snack for 20 kids and their parents and this looks to be delicious! Can you please tell me how you slice the bars so beatuifully? I am always amazed at how clean the edges of your bars are.Thank you! Cindy

Cindy - I use one of those large and sharp pizza rockers, sometimes warming it under water first. I also take extra time to make sure it is cleaned in between cuts. If that doesn't work for you, you could try stashing the pan in the refrigerator for a bit.

I made these for my family and supper club. I love the idea of adding nuts but I wanted the kids to be able to take the bars in their school lunches, so I didn't add nuts. I added a few chocolate chips, baked these in a half-sheet pan and used only half the frosting. Fabulous!